• 2023

    Michael Miller becomes Chief Executive Officer of G&W North America, while Tim Shoveller becomes Chief Executive Officer of G&W’s UK/Europe operations.

    G&W starts up operation of Pan Am Southern via its subsidiary Berkshire & Eastern Railroad. The company also makes its first acquisition in western Canada with BMS Locomotive Services Group.

  • 2019: G&W Acquired by Brookfield Infrastructure and GIC
  • 2016-2017

    G&W acquires Olympia & Belmore Railroad in 2016.

    In 2017, G&W acquires Pentalver Transport in the UK and Heart of Georgia Railroad in the U.S.

  • 2015

    G&W acquires Freightliner Group – with operations in the UK, Poland and Germany.

    The company also adds Arkansas Midland Railroad, Prescott and Northwestern Railroad and Warren & Saline River Railroad.

  • 2014

    G&W establishes the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad in South Dakota.

  • 2012: G&W’s Largest Acquisition To Date

    G&W acquires Columbus & Chattahoochee Railroad, as well as RailAmerica in partnership with the Carlyle Group, which added 45 railroads to the company’s footprint.

  • 2010-2011

    Western Labrador Rail Services is created in 2010 to transport iron ore from Bloom Lake, Quebec, to Wabush, Labrador.

    G&W acquires Arizona Eastern Railway and Hilton & Albany Railroad
    in 2011.

  • 2008

    G&W makes its first acquisition in Europe with Rotterdam Rail Feeding.

    G&W also acquires Georgia Southwestern Railroad as well as railroads of CAGY Industries and the Ohio Central Railroad System.

  • 2006-2007

    G&W acquires Chattahoochee Bay Railroad and Maryland Midland Railway.

    Jack Hellmann becomes Chief Executive Officer in 2007 after seven years as Chief Financial Officer.

  • 2005

    Acquisitions include the First Coast Railroad as well as Rail Management Corporation’s railroads.

  • 2004

    G&W acquires Tazewell & Peoria Railroad and Golden Isles Terminal.

  • 2003

    G&W acquires Georgia-Pacific railroads: Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad; Arkansas Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad; and Fordyce and Princeton Railroad.

  • 2002

    G&W joined its railroad industry peers on the New York Stock Exchange.

    G&W acquires Utah Railway and Emons Industries, which included St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad, St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (Quebec) and York Railway.

  • A Period of Tremendous Growth Kicks Off for G&W
  • 1997-2000: International Expansion Begins

    G&W’s acquisition focus shifted abroad as other countries privatized and restructured their rail industries. G&W made investments in Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Australia.

    For more than two decades, Australia was core to G&W’s franchise. G&W became the first foreign rail investor in Australia with the privatization of Australia National’s South Australia business and the creation of Australia Southern Railroad. G&W subsequently privatized the state-owned freight railroad of Western Australia in partnership with Wesfarmers, creating the third-largest rail operator in Australia, the Australian Railroad Group. Following the sale of ARG in 2006, G&W retained its South Australia operations and then acquired Freightlink in 2010 and Glencore’s rail operations in New South Wales in 2016 in partnership with Macquarie Infrastructure.

  • 1996: G&W’s First Public Listing, the Nasdaq Stock Exchange
  • 1985-1996: G&W’s First Acquisitions

    G&W acquired 11 operations in the U.S., including:

  • 1980

    The Staggers Rail Act deregulated U.S. freight railroads, enabling them to dispose of routes that were unprofitable and helping to restore their financial health. For G&W, the industry’s restructuring presented opportunities to acquire or lease lower-density rail lines.

  • 1977

    E.L.’s great-grandson Mortimer B. Fuller III bought a controlling interest in GNWR and established a holding company known as Genesee & Wyoming Industries. His strategy was to diversify the business with an initial focus on railcar leasing and railcar management. Leading G&W’s transformation of an international railroad business, Mort served as Chairman and CEO from 1977-2007 and as Chairman from 2007-2017.

  • 1899

    The original 14-mile railroad was purchased out of bankruptcy by Edward Layton (E.L.) Fuller and his financial partners to transport salt from their mine in Retsof, New York. That railroad was renamed Genesee and Wyoming Railroad (GNWR) and operated as an independent short line.

GENESEE & WYOMING INC.Our History

For much of its first century, Genesee & Wyoming was a 14-mile railroad serving a single customer in upstate New York. The company has since grown to be a leading owner and lessor of short line and regional freight railroads serving more than 3,000 customers over 13,000 miles of track on two continents.

Read more about G&W’s first 125 years in the special edition of Interchange.